Bottle carrier



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Nov. 27, 1962 J. E. DRlscoLl.

BOTTLE CARRIER Filed March 21, 1961 mug Nov. 27, 1962 J. E. DRlscoLL BOTTLE CARRIER 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed March 2l, 1961 I JNVENToR. .TCH/V t'. DIP/JCOLL l BY I @adn s ,cam/w.

United States Patent 3,065,988 BOTTLE CARRIER John E. Driscoll, West Springfield, Mass., assigner, by mesne assignments, to Cesco Container Mfg. Corp., Northampton, Mass., a corporation of Massachusetts Filed Mar. 21, 1961, Ser. No. 97,217 4 Claims. (Cl. 294-87.2)

This invention relates -to bottle handling -apparatus and particularly to a bottle carrier for an automatic bottle casing machine, i.e., a machine for automatically placing bottles in bottle cases.

In the art of bottle handling machines, particularly milk Ibottle handling machines, the practice has developed of accumulating a caseload of bottles and transferring the caseload from an indexing station to an awaiting case by means of a gripper head or carrier which engages the caseload by gripping the individual bottles at their necks, in the case `of glass bottles, or otherwise gripping the top portions of the bottles, such as the upstanding anges of certain types of paper bottles. Such gripper heads or carriers have heretofore been provided with a plurality of pairs of opposed coacting bottle-gripping bars, one pair of bars for each row of bottles in the caseload to be gripped, with each -bar provided with jaws or bottle-engaging faces. By moving the -bars toward each other, bottles disposed therebetween and confronting the jaws or engaging faces, are gripped between the bars for suspended transfer to the case. A diicult problem has arisen in that where three or :more bottles `are to be gripped between a pair of bars, some of the bottles in the row are gripped more tightly than other bottles in the row between the bars because of slight diierences in the diameter of the glass bottle in the neck portion, or because of a slight diiference in the contour of the bottle neck, or in the case of the paper containers because of slight diierences in the thickness of the flanges of the containers which project upwardly between the bars. As a result of this non-uniform gripping, certain of the bottles are properly held for transfer to an awaiting casewhile others are loosely held and free to swing or pendulate during transfer movement. Where the bottles are being entered into a cellular crate or case, pendulation of the lbottles frequently will prevent proper entry of the bottle into the case cells. Where paper bottles are being handled, a failure to tightly grip each bottle in a -row -of bottles may result in some of the Abottles dropping from between the bars during the transfer movement.

The primary object of this invention is to provide a bottle carrier which will grip the bottles with uniform gripping forces on each bottle though the diameter or thickness of the bottles in any given row may differ from one bottle to another, or though the contour of the bottles may differ.

Another and concomitant object of the invention is the provision of a bottle carrier in which the bottle-gripping jaws or bars are so arranged and constructed that the bottles are gripped in pairs, along each row of bottles, and the gripping forces are equalized as between the bottles of each pair.

Vdirection of arrow 3 in FIG. 1; and

fFIG. 4 is a cross sectional view taken substantially on the line 4-4 of FIG. 2.

The carrier disclosed herein is intended to handle twelve glass milk bottles at one time, to grip the bottles and hold them for transfer to an awaiting case and thereafter release them into the case. .While the jaws of the carrier are sho-wn and described to handle glass milk bottles, it will be understood by those skilled in the art and readily apparent that diferently shaped jaws may be provided in the carrier for gripping other types of bottles, such as paper bottles. Such variation in the jaws to lallow for the handling of diiterent type bottles may be accomplished without departing from an important feature of the invention, namely, that the bottles Iare gripped in pairs and that the jaws embracing each pair are so mounted in the carrier that they automatically adjust themselves to differences in diameters or cont-ours of each pair of bottles, so that each bottle is, in elfect, individually gripped or the gripping forces on one bottle are substan tially equal to the gripping forces on the other bottle of each pair. It is of course to be lappreciated that .the carrier is intended to -grip and transfer a plurality of bottles at one time, such as a caseload of bottles, with the bottles arranged in adjacent parallel rows. The carrier disclosed herein grips bott-les arranged in three rows of four bottles each.

As shown in FIG. 1, the carrier includes a generally rectangular frame 22 formed of four members 24, 26, 28, and 30 connected together by screw bolts 32. Frame members 24 and 28 can have end iianges 34 and 36 which overlap members 26 and 30 and are provided with ribs 38 which tit complementary grooves `40 in members 26 and 30 to strengthen and reinforce the connection between the frame members and rigidify the frame. 'Ihe carrier frame serves to house and/ or carry the remaining components of the carrier.

The frame may be supported in an automatic casing machine in the fashion shown in U,S. Patent No. 2,899,- 233, or in any other convenient manner. When following the teaching of said patent, a pair of the frame members of the carrier, such as members 24 and 28, may be provided with grooves 42 and 44 to fit complementary ways or guides (such as guides 52, 52a, 54, and 54a disclosed in said patent) in the automatic casing machine. To shift the carrier along the guides, an inverted V-shaped bracket 46 may be mounted by screw bolts (not shown) on ears 48 and 50 of members 24 and 28 to which a piston 51 (similar to in said patent) of a lluid pressure cylinder, shown in phantom at 52 in FIG. 2, may be connected.

Within the frame are four parallel bar-suspending slide plates 60, 62, 64, and 66. An edge of plates 60 and 66 is slidably received in complementary grooves 68 and 70 in frame members 24 and 28 as shown in FIG. 2. EX- tending transversely of the plates and rigidly secured thereto by screw bolts 72 are three rigid jaw bars or members 74, 76, and 78. Such bars hold plates 60 and 66 in spaced-apart parallel relation and within grooves 68 and 70. The bars also serve to support plates 62 and 64. Each bar is provided at its lower edge with a plurality of bottle-engaging faces or jaws hereinafter described.

Cooperating with the bars 74, 76, and `78 to grippingly engage bottles are what may be termed resilient gripping bars or members. These bars are resiliently supported within the carrier. There are two such bars or members disposed in confronting relation ywith each of the rigid bars. For example, and as shown in FIG. 2, resilient bars 80 and 82 confront bar 74. Resilient bars 84 and 86 confront bar 76, while bars 88 and 90 confront bar 78. It will be observed that the rigid bar and the resilient confronting bars are arranged to form three parallel channels within each of which the upper portions of a plurality of bottles may be disposed for gripping by the bars and 3 transfer by the carrier. In the embodiment shown, the bars are adapted to grip four bottles within each of the channels defined by the confronting bars, two bottles being kdisposed between each resilient bar and its opposed rigid bar.

The bars 74, 76, and 78 are shiftable in the frame towmd and away from their confronting resilient bars, while the resilient bars are shiftable toward and away from their respective confronting bars 74, 76, and 78. In one bottle-casing machine of the prior art where confronting bars are provided between which bottles are gripped, one of the bars is fixed and does not move within the frame while its associated confronting bar shifts. In the carrier of the instant application, both bars shift though it will be apparent to those skilled in the art following a study of this disclosure that the bars 74, 76, and 78 may be rigidly mounted within the frame against movement if the particular requirements of the installation require this arrangement.

To accomplish the shiftable movement of the bars 74, 76, and 78, the four slide plates 60, 62, 64, and 66 are shiftable jointly toward either frame member 26 or 30. To support the resilient bars for shiftable movement, they are each secured to a slide plate which slidably overlies the upper surface for adjacent plates 60, 62, and 64, 66. For example, resilient bars 82, 86, and 90 are secured by screw bolts 92 to the underside of slide plates 94, 96, and 98, respectively. Such slide plates in turn are supported in slidably overlying relation upon the upper surfaces of plates 64 and 66. In order to secure the resilient bars to the slide plates 94, 96, and 98, each bar is provided with an upwardly extending portion 100, which slidably underlies in juxtaposed relation the bottom surfaces of plates 64 and 66. Portion 100 is shaped to provide a neck 2 which projects between the plates 64 and 66 and to the upper surface of which the slide plate 94, 96, or 98 is secured. In effect, the resilient bars are therefore suspended from between the plates 64 and 66 but are not secured to them for movement therewith, but rather are shiftable relative to the plates 64 and 66. Resilient bars 80, 84, and 88 are supported in a similar fashion within the carrier.

It will be noted that there is clearance between the sides of neck 102 and the adjacent plates, such as plates 64 and 66 (see FIG. l), which permits rocking or pivoting motion of the resilient bars in a horizontal plane, such as in the direction of the arrows A in FIG. 1. The resilient bars are normally held in parallelism with their confronting rigid bars. In order to hold the resilent bars in such parallelism, and also to provide their resilient mounting when they -are shifted to grip bottles, spring means are provided for yieldingly tensioning the resilient bars toward their confronting bars. Such spring means are particularly shown in FIG. 4 and comprise the compression type coil springs 104, one spring for each resilient bar.

The upstanding neck portion 100 of each of the resilent bars is provided with a counterbored hole 106 disposed equidistantly between oppsite ends of the bar and extending completely through the neck. In coaxial alignment with the holes in the neck portions are semi-circular recesses 108 in the confronting bars 76 and 78. Within the recesses are bearing sleeves or the like 1110 with a cap 112, having a semi-circular recess, secured by screw bolts 114 to the bars 76 and 78, and holding the sleeves in place. A pair of actuating rods 116 and 118 extends through the aforesaid holes and sleeve bearings. The springs 104 encircle the rods within the counterbores of holes 106 with spacer sleeves 120 and 122 on each rod received within the bearings 110 and supporting the rods and abutting the springs at one end. A spring abutment plate 124 is fastened by a screw 126 to one end of each of the rods while at the other end an upstanding, inverted, U-shaped bracket 128 extends between and s secured to the rods by screws 130. Bracket 128 transmits the forces of motion of cylinder piston assembly 132 to the resilient bars.

The cylinder piston assembly 132 includes a uid pressure cylinder 134 having a square mounting block 136' secured by screw bolts 138 to a -base plate 140 which extends between, and is secured as by screw bolts 142 to the slide plates 62 and 64. The piston rod 144 of the assembly 132 is threadedly connected to the bracket 128. Fluid pressure ports 146 and 148 open into opposite ends of the cylinder. Pressurization of port 146 by a uid pressure system connected to ports 146 and 148 (not shown) shifts the piston rod outwardly of the cylinder. The reaction between the cylinder and piston rod is such that the bars 74, 76, and 78 are shifted upwardly (considering FIG. l) while the spring-loaded bars are shifted downwardly, with the result that the bars 74, 76, and 78 are shifted toward the spring-loaded bars and vice versa. Pressurization of port 148 and exhausting of port 146 serves to shift the bars in the opposite direction.

To determine the distance of movement of the bars, stop rods 150 and 152 are provided. Such rods are fixed at opposite ends in the frame 22 and are threaded as at 154 throughout a portion of their lengths. Adjustably threaded on each rod at spaced-apart intervals are four pairs of stop nuts 156, 158, 160, and 162, and two nuts of each pair being tightened toward each other to lock them at adjusted positions along the rods. The two pairs of nuts 156 and 158 limit the movement of bracket 128 and therefore the movement of the spring-loaded bars. The two pairs of nuts 160 and 162 are on opposite sides of ears 164 and 166, which are secured to the base plate 140 and through which the stop rods extend, and thereby limit the movement of the bars 74, 76, and 78.

Secured as by screws 168 to the resilient bars equidistantly from the pivotal or rockable support thereof on the frame are a pair of bottle-engaging face or jawdening members 170. Similar bottle-engaging face or jaw-defining members are secured to the rigid bars 74, 76, and 78, such as the member 172 partially shown in FIG. 2. Where the carrier is adapted to handle glass bottles, the members and 172 may be formed of a non-scratching material, somewhat softer than steel and possibly having a somewhat greater coeicient of friction with the glass than would metal. For example, the members may be formed of nylon, Teflon, or the like. Where the carrier is to handle paper containers, the members may be and are preferably formed of steel. Where the carrier is to handle glass bottles, the members 170 and 172 are provided with arcuately shaped jaws 174 and 175, jaws 174 being on the rigid bars 74, 76, and 78, while jaws 175 are on the resiliently supported bars. The particular shape of these recesses in cross section is shown and described in United States Patent No. 2,899,- 233. The recesses of the rigid bars are disposed opposite and in cooperative relation with the recesses of the resilient bars such that bottles disposed between the bars are partially encircled at their necks by the faces of the recesses when the -bars are moved together and thereby the bottles are gripped and are held against unwanted bend.

Where the carrier is to handle paper cartons, the members 170 and 172 may be provided with serrated faces, similar to the serrated faces of the jaw members 260 and 262 shown in U.S. application Serial No. 776,161, filed November 20, 1958, now U.S. Patent No. 2,957,287.

The important feature of the invention disclosed in this application may be appreciated from a consideration of FIGS. 1 and 4 in connection with the following discussion. Assuming that the carrier is adapted to handle glass bottles, and that a row of four bottles is disposed between the rigid bar 74 and the resilient bars 80 and 82, such as is indicated in phantom outline Iby the bottle B of FIG. 4, when the cylinder 134 is pressurized at port 146, the bracket 128 will be shifted to the left (FIG.

4) to shift the bar 82 to the left, and at the same time the bar 74 will be shifted to the right. The bottles will be engaged by the jaw-defining members 170 and 172 and will be gripped therebetween. Because the bottles of the row will vary slightly in `their diameters at points at which the jaws engage lthem, the resilient bars will rock slightly in the direction of the arrows A in FIG. 1 to accommodate for the slight differences in the faces of the bottles such that the bottles are uniformly tightly gripped between the bars. This rocking motion of the resilient bars will ensure a uniform gripping force on the bottles. The springsy 104 will urge the resilient Ybars 80 and 82 toward the opposed bar 74 and thereby a yielding tension of the opposed jaws toward each other to yieldingly grip bottles lbetween the jaws on the bars. The clearance between the sides of portions 100 and the adjacent slide plates 64 and 66 will permit lthe rocking motion of the resilient bars. As a result, the machine will accommodate bottles whose diameters vary slightly and uniformly grip them for the suspended transfer to an awaiting case. All of the bottles will be gripped with the same gripping force and there will be no tendency, as occurred in the prior art, that some of the bottles will `be loosely gripped and susceptible of free pendulation.

In summary it will be noted that I have provided a bottle carrier for an automatic bottle handling machine which comprises a frame 22 with a plurality of pairs of opposed bottle gripping jaws 174 and 175 mounted thereon and arranged in parallel rows to embrace parallel lines of bottles for transfer of the lines by the carrier. Each row of opposed jaws has the jaws along one side of the row (jaws 175) mounted for joint and independent movement and to this end the jaws along one side of each row are mounted in pairs on a common bar or member, two jaws to each member, which is rockably or pivotally carried by the frame, with the point of pivotal connection to the frame lying substantially equidistant between the jaws. By reference to FIG. 2 it will be noted that the pint of pivotal or rockable support of each of the bars 80 and 82, as defined by the axis of the rods 116 and 118, is equidistant between the jaws 175 of each bar. The jaws 174 along the other side of each row are supported for joint movement toward and away from jaws 175, -but unlike the other jaws are not shiftable relative to or independent of each other. Jaws 174, which are mounted on the bars 74, 76, and 78, determine or x a line of gripped bottles in straight rows while jaws ensure that each bottle is properly gripped.

What I claim is:

1. A bottle carrier for an automatic bottle-casing machine comprising, in combination: a frame to be supported in the machine for bottle transfer movement; bottle-engaging jaws disposed to grip a plurality of bottles for transfer movement; said jaws arranged in a plurality of rows of confronting pairs to embrace a bottle between the jaws of each pair; first means on the frame support ing alternate rows of jaws in fixed spatial relation; second means on the frame supporting said remaining rows of jaws, said second means including a plurality of members pivotally mounted on the frame, a pair of adjacent jaws in a row secured to each member in spaced relation substantially equidistant from the pivotal mounting of said member whereby said member may pivot as -bottles are gripped to distribute the gripping forces evenly on a pair of bottles; at least one jaw of each confronting pair being shiftable toward and away from its confronting jaw; and power means on the frame coupled to said shiftable jaws to jointly shift the jaws.

2. The invention as defined in claim 1 characterized in that said power means is coupled to each jaw of each confronting pair to shift both jaws of each pair.

3. The invention as defined in claim 1 characterized in that each of said members is resiliently mounted to be urged in a direction to yieldingly grip a bottle between the jaws thereon and the confronting oppositely disposed jaws, with said members being rockable in a horizontal plane to allow variations in distance between the opposed jaws of adjacent pairs of jaws.

4. The invention as defined in claim 3 characterized in that the jaw of each pair opposed to the resiliently mounted jaw is rigidly supported in xed spatial relation with corresponding jaws of adjacent pairs of jaws.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,617,548 Falkner Nov. 11, 1952 2,718,426 Nagy Sept. 20, 1955 2,727,779 Phillips Dec. 20, 1955 2,899,233 Cella et al. Aug. 11, 1959 

